URL unshortener
Paste a short or tracking link (bit.ly, t.co, lnkd.in, tinyurl, a newsletter click-tracker) and see where it really ends up, without opening it in your own browser.
Why expand a link before clicking
A short link hides its destination behind a redirect. Expanding it first shows you the real domain, so you can spot a lookalike (paypa1.com), a file download or an unexpected site before your browser ever connects to it. Our server makes the requests; your device only receives the list of hops.
We don’t execute JavaScript or download files, and we refuse private and internal addresses, so a malicious link can’t use the checker to reach anything it shouldn’t. That also means a short link that relies on JavaScript to forward you will stop at the interstitial page; the checker reports the script redirect if it finds one.
Tracking parameters we strip
The “clean link” removes common analytics parameters: utm_*, fbclid, gclid, dclid, msclkid, mc_cid, mc_eid, igshid, yclid, _hsenc, _hsmi, ref_src and si. Other parameters are kept because the page may need them.
Questions
How do I see where a shortened URL goes?
Paste it above and press Expand link. The tool follows each redirect from our server and shows every hop and the final page, without loading anything in your browser.
Is it safe to expand a suspicious link here?
Safer than clicking it. Only our server contacts the link, JavaScript is not run and nothing is downloaded to your device. The result still cannot tell you whether the final site is trustworthy; judge the domain yourself.
Why does the expanded link stop at a warning page?
Some shorteners and social networks show an interstitial or require JavaScript to continue. The checker reports what the server sends; if the forward happens in JavaScript it is flagged but not followed.
Does expanding a link count as a click?
Often yes. The shortener’s analytics will usually record our request as a visit, as it would any other request.